Stylin' Saturday Link Up -- Green Family

We are such a stylin' family; we can't help it.  Our style just happens without effort.

For example, last Saturday morning we all tromped out on a doughnut hunt and found ourselves at the new Dunkin' Donuts on the corner...

and then we realized, as we consumed our ever-so-healthy breakfast, that the boys and I were all wearing...

green T-shirts.

They could not be bothered to pose - well, who would, with yummy frosted donuts in front of them?

Our shirts were not the same shade of green -- oh, no, we could never be coordinated as that -- but all in green, nonetheless.

(I love the word nonetheless, don't you?  I find different ways to use it whenever possible.)

Bryan was the odd man out -- he did not get the subtle green-shirt-memo-vibe that went out from me and the boys.  He didn't mind sitting there in his navy blue T-shirt, though.  

He doesn't need to match everyone else in order to feel as if he's a part of things.  He knows he's a part of things.

He's secure that way.

Also, he was the only one with a healthy breakfast -- a multi-grain bagel and a coffee with Splenda.

He likes to be different.

This was my breakfast:

Cinnamon coffee with cream and sugar...Boston "scream" doughnut and a maple bar.  I just decided that I didn't care that day.  And it was good.  (Why are these last 10 pounds not coming off?  Hmmm...)

Ben, as usual, did not want to pose for a picture, and especially with his mama.

This is as "green" as our family gets.

Linking up with Wendy...check it out!

"Five Things"...Sunday

So I had a crazy week.  And I didn't get things done like I should have.  But my kids are happy and fed!  so that's what counts.


Here are my five things...better late than never, huh?

1.  The boys have a new "after-bath" game.  I think they call it "hot dog swinging."  Bryan calls it "oh-my-aching-back."

2.  Autumn in Arizona means...planting new flowers!!  Because it's finally cool enough so that the flowers don't shrivel up and die in the blazing heat.  We got our planter all filled up with pretty stuff.  Never mind the barren wasteland behind it.  It's a work in progress!

3.  I got my fall decorations up.  Even though I live in the desert, I like to pretend that I live back in the Midwest and there is a real autumn.  So I fill my house up with pretty fall colors.

4.  Along with autumn comes....holiday coffee cream flavors!!!  This one is my new favorite.  Found it at Safeway.  It is especially yummy in iced coffee!

5.  Another fall favorite...pumpkin muffins!!!  (Post with recipe coming soon.)  My family devoured these for breakfast on Saturday morning.  They were delicious.

That's my five things for this past week.  There were many stressful and heartbreaking things about this past week...I am thankful to have found five positive and happy things in and among the mess. 

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.

Easy Iced Coffee

Is anyone else HOT?  Holy cow.  We've been having 105 to 107-degree days here in Tucson -- WITH humidity!!  Now the rainstorm we had the other night was lovely - really, it was, I'm not being sarcastic - it topped off our 107-degree day well, cooling things off to a balmy 90-degrees or so.  I might be off a few degrees (but then, what else is new?  ha ha ha ha....)

So for my fellow coffee-loving friends, I want to share this amazing iced coffee "recipe" that my more amazing hubby came up with a few years ago.  It has saved us BEAUCOUP de dollars at McD's, Starbuck's, Dunkin' Donuts...wherever you can buy iced coffee through a drive-thru.  (Whoops, did I just tell on myself?  I mean, where you can buy iced coffee.  Period.)

Because when you LOVE and REQUIRE coffee while living in Arizona in the summertime, the regular ol' hot coffee is just...well...too hot.  To be very eloquent.

Okay, so what you need is:

• Instant coffee (Nescafe is the BEST)
• Your sugar/sweetner of choice (if any)
• Your flavored creamer of choice (if any)
• Ice (crushed is best)
• Milk
• Tiny bit of warm water

1.  Get a large glass.  You'll need room for the ice and milk.

2.  Put a little bit of warm water in it -- maybe a quarter cup or less?  We never measure.  You don't have to use warm water, but it helps to dissolve the instant coffee and sugar (if you use it).

3.  Spoon in your instant coffee.  A heaping teaspoon is usually good -- depends on how strong you like it.

4.  Add sugar/sweetner, if desired.

5.  Stir to dissolve the coffee and sugar.

6.  Add splash of flavored cream, if desired.  Or if you have any flavoring syrup around...or nothing here at all, if you are like my husband and don't want flavor.

7.  Stir it all up.

8.  Add ice...crushed is more fun, but any will work...but the ice is NECESSARY.  Fill it up to the top, or nearly there.

9.  Fill the rest with milk.

10.  Stir carefully, so you don't slosh the yumminess all over the counter.

11.  Enjoy. 

This turned out a bit light...so I dissolved more instant coffee in warm water and stirred it in to darken it up (later, after I took the photo) -- it's fun to be able to fix it up.

12.  Try to hide it from the kiddos.  Because they'll see it and somehow know it must be yummy, and they'll want some.  And unless you chose decaf coffee, you don't want them into your treat.  Or maybe you just don't want to share.  And that wouldn't set a good example, now would it?  (Um, am I telling on myself again?)

So...you're welcome.  Well, you can thank Bryan for coming up with this.  He is master at figuring out concoctions in the kitchen.  It must be an engineer-thing.  Also, an I-think-my-wife-is-going-through-McD's-drive-thru-every-day-and-I-need-to-put-a-stop-to-it thing.  :) 

If you like your coffee black -- then check out The Pioneer Women's recipe for Perfect Iced Coffee.  I think with her way of making it, you could leave it black.  My dear friend Noelle passed this on to me.  If I can ever have the supplies that PW has, and the huge amount of kitchen space, I'd love to do what she does for iced coffee.  Until then, I will be quite content and satisfied with my instant coffee rendition.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I've wanted to do this type of a post since I saw this one over at Plum Street Samplers.  (And, ironically, she links you back to another favorite blog of mine, The Sampler Girl!)  Anyway, I'm totally lifting this idea from Paulette Stewart (of Plum Street Samplers), who doesn't know me at ALL, or even that I exist -- and who is a wonderful designer of cross-stitch.  And I haven't even stitched any of her designs yet.  (But I've got a wish list going!) 

Back to my favorite things. These are just simple, every day things that make life fun. No I'm not getting paid by any of the products' companies for saying that I use or like them. The companies, like Paulette Stewart, do not know of my existence. And that is okay. I like to be incognito.

Ah, one of my comfort foods, and currently my boys' and I favorite breakfast.  Cinnamon toast.  Sans the coffee for the boys, but Mama requires it.  And I love the cup -- one of Monet's paintings, and similar to one I saw in Paris.  (I love Monet, but the Waterlilies start to all look the same...)  So what could be better than my pretty Monet cup, filled with yummy coffee, and a plate of cinnamon toast.  Mmmmm...

 I am totally copying Paulette Stewart on this one.  Because of her post, I discovered the wonder of Sallly Hansen's Insta-Dry nail polish.  Ladies, it really DOES dry instantly!!  And most of the shades only require one coat!!  Perfect for the busy mama.  I have actually been able to polish my fingernails during day when the boys are awake, without getting them mussed.  Love it!  And I love the pretty colors too!

Yes, this is a pink camoflauge Bible!! It's paperback, it's small, the font is readable...it's amazing. I love it for my nightstand and for traveling. I don't worry about it getting torn (it was only $4 on cbd.com), or the kids getting ahold of it. They come in green camo and I got one for each of my boys (including Bryan!).

Iced tea is a daily staple for me, since for some reason, too much water gives me heartburn! But I can't handle the caffeine all day (after a morning of coffee) so I go for decaf. And instant tea works great for me because I don't have to worry about a whole pitcher of tea getting "stale" (or whatever you call it when tea gets kinda cloudy and gross) since I'm the only one in the house that drinks it. Nestea is the only company I've found that makes Decaf, Instant, Tea. And Fry's Food Stores (Kroger's) is the only store in Tucson where I can find the Decaf Instant Tea. Just FYI.

Hazelnut coffee creamer is my absolute favorite!  It makes my morning coffee so yummy (and goes perfectly with cinnamon toast, by the way). 

My weekly meal planner, discovered in a dollar bin somewhere, or maybe won as a door prize at a party?  I can't remember.  I have a few of these lying about, in different formats, and have even designed one for myself in Word.  This one has a magnetic back, so I keep it on the fridge and write things down that we need throughout the week.  Then on Thursday or Friday of each week, I start thinking about what we'll do for dinners the following week -- take a look at the weekly store flyers, peek into the pantry to see what we've got on-hand.  You'll notice this one is dated for next week.  Yes I'm working ahead!  We're on vacation and I want to be ready to go to the grocery store when we get home!  No I'm not neurotic, I have just found it very stressful to be back from vacation without any ideas of what to get for food and an empty refrigerator. 

And I'm out of ideas for next week.  Any ideas for our family meals?

And these are a few of my favorite things.  I apologize for the song getting stuck in your head.  It's been stuck in mine for a while.  Try thinking of another song, like the "WonderPets" theme -- no that's more annoying.  Just turn on your radio.